Property inventory reporting may seem like a straightforward process, but there are a few simple steps that are often overlooked by both in-house property inspectors as well as independent inventory clerks. The team at Imfuna has compiled a list of 4 important details that are often left out of inventory reports so that you can be sure your reports stand out from the crowd!
1. Photos that Really Highlight Damages
Sure, you need to take detailed and accurate photos for your inventory reports, as well as check in, check out, and midterm reports, but it goes beyond just making sure you have adequate light when snapping your pics. Not all issues will be readily visible by the naked eye, and when that happens you need to ensure that any damages are pointed out. Use Imfuna’s markup tools on your photos to point out to the viewer exactly what you want them to see – if an issue in a photograph isn’t glaringly obvious, you’re not doing it right. If you’re taking an inspection photo and want to show the size of something, place a standard-sized item, such as a pen or ruler, in the photo next to the damage; this provides a sense of scale to the viewer.
2. Highly Descriptive Notes
Time is money, and producing your inventory reports at an efficient pace is very important. However, if your inventory report looks like it was prepared in a hurry and includes short, incomplete notes, then you will have less chance of winning a dispute at the end of a tenancy – so keep those notes detailed. Those thumbs of yours can only type notes so fast, so thankfully Imfuna offers transcription for all your voice notes. All you have to do is speak your notes into a mobile device and a member of our in-house transcription team will type them and integrate them directly into your report. By dictating your notes and sending them to one of our professional transcribers, you can focus on issues as you observe them instead of focusing on your predictive text.
3. Online/Digital Format
Filing cabinets are out, cloud storage is in! As the world continues to become environmentally savvy and digitally minded, inventory reports printed on paper become less frequent. Tenants are living in a digital world and prefer having digital documents, so give the people what they want! Online inventories have already become the rule rather than the exception, so you need to be able to easily share all of your inventory reports online, like with the multiple sharing options offered by the web-based Imfuna Report Publisher, where all our reports are published in PDF format so they can’t be edited. Having digital reports not only saves paper, but also saves you time and money.
4. Company Branding
Gone are the days of inventory reports in Excel format or on standard paper tick-box forms. Imfuna allows you to use your company’s very own logo and colours so you have branded reports, which give your documents a sleek, highly professional look. Each page of your inventory report should tell the world where that report came from by using your company’s branding. Let the customer know that not only are you providing them with a credible property inspection, but you are also providing a report that is unrivaled in its detail. You wouldn’t put a Porsche engine into a Kia body, so don’t compromise your valuable inspection information by skimping on presentation!
